Mike Mottau, Brian Rolston join Boston Bruins

Wednesday

Defenseman Mike Mottau and forward Brian Rolston were acquired by the Bruins on Monday, participated in the morning skate yesterday and played in last night’s 1-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators. Whew.

Defenseman Mike Mottau and forward Brian Rolston were acquired by the Bruins on Monday, participated in the morning skate yesterday and played in last night’s 1-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators.

Whew.

“It was fun to play today,” Rolston said after suiting up for the Bruins for the first time in eight years. “It’s also good to know it’s behind you. There was a lot of emotion leading up to it.”

Defenseman Greg Zanon, the Bruins’ other trade deadline pickup, was held out of the lineup by coach Claude Julien. Zanon joined the Bruins yesterday after practice had concluded, and Julien wanted to give the prolific shot blocker a chance to skate with his new teammates before being thrust into action.

Mottau, a former Worcester IceCats captain, started last night on the third unit, paired with Adam McQuaid. He stepped in for Andrew Ference, who replaced the injured Johnny Boychuk (concussion) next to captain Zdeno Chara. Julien left the Dennis Seidenberg-Joe Corvo duo intact.

Mottau, who turns 34 on March 19, saw 10 minutes, 49 seconds of ice time. He had one shot, one hit and one blocked shot in 15 shifts.

Rolston, who was playing alongside Mottau for the Islanders until being rescued by the Bruins in exchange for a couple of low-level prospects, centered the third line with Benoit Pouliot on his left and Jordan Caron on his right.

The 39-year-old Rolston — he celebrated his latest birthday Feb. 21 — was on the ice for 8:27 over 14 shifts. He tied for the team lead with four hits and two blocked shots and won 5 of 9 faceoffs (56 percent), but didn’t get off a shot.

“It was their first game, so I certainly didn’t expect miracles,” Julien said.

As expected, Rolston saw some time on the power play (right point) while also contributing to the penalty kill.

“We know he’s capable of playing the power play; he’s also capable of killing penalties,” Julien said of Rolston, whose versatility includes the ability to play all three forward positions. “When it comes to power plays, he has a great shot, he’s a good skater, and there are a lot of assets there. That’s certainly something that we have to look at.”

Rolston is wearing his familiar No. 12 jersey, while Mottau is No. 27 and Zanon is No. 6.

The Bruins host the Devils, losers of three straight after taking four in a row, at 7 p.m. tomorrow before welcoming the perpetually hapless Islanders to town for a Saturday matinee, meaning Rolston and Mottau won’t have to wait long to face their former teammates.

It’s been an unusual year for Bobby Butler, the Senators’ second-year forward from Marlboro via the University of New Hampshire.

On the one hand, Butler has appeared in just 50 games. He has missed six due to injury and was a healthy scratch for nine others.

And he has been limited to six goals and nine assists after coming up with 10 and 11 in 36 games last year.

On the other hand, four of Butler’s strikes have been game-winners, a total that leads the team. He also ranks fourth with a plus-9 after checking in at minus-16 a year ago.

“It’s been a pretty good season,” Butler, 24, said. “It’s my first full year, so there have been some ups and downs. But it’s been going good recently, and the team is winning, so that’s all that matters. It’s a great group of guys and it’s been a lot of fun.”

Butler started at right wing last night, teamed with center Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek. He had two shots and two hits over 24 shifts totaling 12:55 as his point-less streak reached five games.

Butler had six points in the four games prior to his dry spell.

“It’s a really good league, and you learn a lot through a long season,” he said.

Defenseman Joe Corvo took a nasty shot from Kyle Turris in the third period of Saturday’s win over the Senators. Turris wasn’t penalized for his actions, but Corvo termed it a “dirty hit” — one that left him experiencing headaches afterward.

Corvo wouldn’t have minded getting the opportunity for some payback last night, but Turris apparently wasn’t up for dancing.

“I asked him, and he wasn’t interested. It ended like that,” Corvo said of an offer made in the first period. “His teammates (also) said he wasn’t going to fight me, so that’s that. I wasn’t going to be the idiot chasing him around.”

Shawn Thornton was back after missing the last game with flu-like symptoms. … Forward Max Sauve was an emergency call-up from Providence.

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